Many parts of the world suffer from periodic water shortages. This is particularly true of geographic areas where the rainfall occurs only during a relatively short rainy season and where the remainder of the year is normally dry. When various factors combine to produce less than normal rainfall for one or two of the normal rainy seasons, emergency drought conditions are initiated and frequently become oppressive, if not diasastrous. In the California area several dry years which extended through the 1977-1978 normal winter rain season resulted in water shortages so that rationing and strong conservation measures were needed.
On the other hand, during normal rainfall years, there are many instances when the flood control water runoff channels carry many acre feet of water into the ocean. This fresh water is forever lost, once it becomes mixed with the salty ocean water and is thereafter unusable for drinking or agricultural purposes.
A principal object of the present invention is to save this runoff water and make it available for distribution.